1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing tackle. More specifically, the invention relates to a multipurpose fishing cork or bobber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The art of fishing, whether viewed in terms of an occupation or as recreation, dates back to some of man's earliest recorded history. Consequently, a vast variety of methods and devices for catching fish appears in the literature. Similarly, the contemporary recreational angler with rod and reel has a varierty of fishing tackle to choose from, including many types of hooks, lines, sinkers, floats, artificial lures and the like, each having specific applications in certain siutations and conditions. However, many problem areas still remain with essentially no acceptable or ideal solution.
For example, when fishing with light casting equipment from the bank or shore of a flowing river, stream or the like, it would be desirable to be able to work the entire river or stream in a manner analogous to trolling. Yet no relatively inexpensive and convenient, yet reliable fishing tackle compatible with conventional casting equipment and the like is available to accomplish such a task.
In the past, various devices have been proposed to overcome this problem, but each has been less than satisfactory and consequently, has met with limited success. For example, nearly a century ago the concept of employing a miniature boat with a wind driven sail from which a line and hook can be attached appeared in U.S. Pat. No. 270,358. This basic concept has been extended and refined in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,361,602 and 3,747,248, yet obviously such a suggestion has limited applications particularly on a windless day. The basic concept of employing the current or direction of water movement of assist the angler in directing a lure or bait to a desired location has been suggested. Thus, various types of water kites can be found in the patent literature. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,924,907 and 3,140,555 a water kite for trolling is disclosed, while in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,273,209 and 2,726,475, a fishing kite for deep submergence is disclosed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,798,331 and 3,464,142 disclose a buoyant device. However, none of the water kites is sufficiently simple and small enough to be compatible with bait casting techniques. This point is rather obvious in that all of the devices mentioned above involve fixing the fishing line permanently to the water kite. This will inherently restrict the acceptable distance between the water kite and hook when casting (i.e., the length of the line with hook that is attached to the device is severely restricted).